In the packaging industry, it is conventional that a product is packed in a plastic film or a rigid plastic package which is then heat sealed. The film forming the package usually comprises a substrate layer and a sealant layer. The sealant layer is the topmost layer of the film and is in direct contact with the packed item. The seal must possess a mechanical resistance sufficient to maintain the tight-seal properties during storage and transport. This seal strength is usually measured in Newton per 15 millimeter (N/15 mm) and corresponds to the necessary force to open a sealed film of 15 mm width. Usually, the seal strength increases with the sealing temperature up to a temperature above which the seal can not be opened without destroying the film.
However, in industry, it is desired that these packaging films be suitable for high speed machine packaging. In this view, it is useful to provide a sealant layer that can be sealed at relatively low temperatures in order to allow for higher packaging line speeds of packaging machines. The minimal temperature allowing for sufficient seal strength in a certain application (this sufficient strength can be set at 1 N/15 mm for instance) is called the seal initiation temperature (SIT). It would therefore be useful to have sealant layers showing a relatively low heat seal initiation temperature.
Also, it is observed that after the heat sealing stage, the seal strength of the packaging increases with cooling. Usually, a great percentage of the final seal strength is obtained after several milliseconds. However, because of the high speed machines used on packaging lines, it is necessary to reach an appropriate seal strength right after the heat sealing stage so that the packaging does not delaminate on the line before it is cold. This property is called the hot tack. It would therefore be useful to have sealant layers showing a good hot tack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,210 describes a film made of a mixture of a propylene-ethylene copolymer and an ethylene-alkyl acrylate copolymer, with a minimum amount of alkyl acrylate in the mixture, showing good RF sealing properties.
However, there is still a need for sealant layers for packaging films that would have a relatively low heat seal initiation temperature, a good heat seal strength, and a good hot tack.